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There are few greater joys in life then sitting down with a buddy and playing through a game together. It's pretty much a guaranteed great time, and with the popularity of titles like Gears of War and the increasing prevalence of online gaming, it seems as though co-op games are more popular than ever. But where does one go to discuss co-op games? Enter Co-Optimus, a freshly launched site dedicated entirely to games that can be played together.

Run by Evil Avatar's Nicholas Puleo, the site covers nine platforms and handhelds, with extensive lists of co-op games available for each one. The site also features user reviews, ratings, and matchmaking. There are also discussion forums to help find a friend for all your co-op needs, including information on what type of co-op features each game supports: offline or online, number of players, split-screen, etc. But where things really start to get interesting is the forums; each game has its own thread which will allow users to arrange their own co-op sessions with like-minded gamers. For systems like the Wii or DS and their rather annoying friend codes, this feature could be a godsend.

While Internet forums are a dime a dozen and the concept of setting up games through them is nothing new, Co-Optimus could potentially make this process much easier by bringing everything together in one place. Of course, like all online services, the future of the site will depend on its user base. Right now things are admittedly rather barebones, but let's hope they pick up in the future. While most reviews mention co-op play in passing, it could be nice to have a place to focus on that topic alone.